Circular loom



2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

(No Model.) A DE LAsKI CIRCULAR LO0M No. 503,544. Patented Aug-.15,1893.

UNITED (STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT DE LASKI, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

CIRCULAR LOOM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 5055,5 14, dated August15, 1893.

Application filed April 10. 1891. Serial No 388,418. (No model.)Patented in England, March 11, 1892,No. 4,817.

To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALBERT DE LASKI, of Cleveland, in the county ofCuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Circular Looms, (for which I have obtained a patent in Great Britain,No. 4,817, dated March 11, 1892;) and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspecification,

My present invention relates to that portion of a circular loom whichcomprises the shuttle, or shuttles, thereof; the mechanism by means ofwhich the shuttle, or shuttles, is, or are, driven; and other devicesdirectly cooperative with said shuttle and shuttle-driving mechanism.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and practice myinvention, I will now proceed to more fully explain the several featuresthereof, and, to more explicitly describe, by reference to theaccompanying drawings which form part of this specification, theconstruction and operation of a machine embracing my present invention.

In the drawingsI haveshown only so much of a circular loom, of a wellknown form (such, for instance, as seen in my patent of April 26, 1887,No. 361,994),and in public use as seems to be necessary to illustratethe novel structural features made the subject of this application.

In said drawings: Figure 1, is a partial vertical central section, of acircular loozn embracing my invention; the upper and lower portions ofthe machine not being shown, in order to permit the drawing of the partsthat are shown, on a larger scale. Fig. 2, is a partial horizontalsection, on an enlarged scale, showing, in top view, the shuttle, theshuttle track, drc. Fig. 3 is a detail view showing one end of thebobbin and its brake-band device. Fig. 4, shows in detail views (one acentral section and the other an inner face view), he bobbin head, andits dogging, or

clutching, devices. Fig. 5, is a detail edge same. Fig. 8, is adetailsectional view, showing one of the frictional,shuttle-drivingwheels, with its supports, and the pin-gear with which itengages. Fig. 9, is a detail, or partial, side view, looking at theouter edge, or exterior, of the shuttle-track.

In all the views the same part will be found always designated by thesame reference letter.

As is well understood, it is a great desideratum in the construction ofa circular loom, to have the shuttles, together with the track, orrace-way, on which they travel, and the mechanism for driving saidshuttles (no matter whether there be a greater, or a less numberthereof), all constructed and arranged to operate in such manner, thatthe highest possible, or practicable, rate of speed may be attained to,in the weaving operation, without danger of derangement of the parts,and Without undue wear and tear thereon; also so that the shuttle, orshuttles, can easily have the bobbin, or bobbins, rapidly removed andreplaced, in supplying the shuttle with fresh filling thread; and alsoso that the middle, or interior portion of the circular loom will be asfree as possible, from gearing and other working parts, requiringlubrication, the oil from which is liable to drop upon, or otherwisesoil, the product which is taken oif, by some suitable means, from theweaving-pin of the loom. As is also well known, it is indispensablynecessary, (among other things) to the successful and rapid working of acircular loom, to have the construction of the shuttle mechanism suchthat the thread, drawn off from the bobbin (always under high tension)will be subjected to a perfectly uniform tension, from the beginning tothe end of the use of the contents of the entire bobbin. In my improvedloom I have attained to the accomplishment of all these desirable ends,in an eminent degree, by the novel structural features and devices whichwill be found hereinafter fully explained, and which, so far as theyform part of my present invention, will be found particularly pointedout in the. claims of this specification.

F, is the shuttle track, which is secured to the projecting seats b fromthe posts A as shown, and which has two rails connected by the arms Feach provided with a road-way of inlaid rubber, or other non-metallicand circular race-way being provided, at its inner edge, or perimeter,with a toothed, or comb like, vertically arranged rim G, in the spacesbetween the teeth of which, the warp threads move, up and down, in theformation of the sheds, during the Weaving operation. The inner rail ofthe circular shuttle-track is supported by only half the number ofradially arranged arm s, or pieces, F of the frame work,

that are employed to support the outer rail of the track; in order thatmore space may be left between the horizontal, radial, bars, and thusgreatly facilitate, and in fact, thus permit the extrication of thebobbin, from the shuttle frame, downwardly, or from. beneath theshuttle; whereby the operator can much more quickly and conveniently,take out the empty bobbin, and replace it by a full one; and can also,much more conveniently, and at a better place, effectuate the splicingof the tail end of the old filling thread, to the leading end of thethread of the new, or fresh, bobbin. By the arrangement of the comblikevertical rim, or circular fence, G, at the inner perimeter of the outerrail of the shuttle-track, instead of at its outer perimeter, I amenabled to usea larger set of outer guidewheels, on the shuttle frame,without having to place the guide-wires, or reeds P, of the loom, toofar away from the shuttle; it being important to have these reeds, orguide wir'e's,

located as near as possible to the outer portion of the shuttle itself.

The bobbin of the shuttle is provided with novel and simple devices, allas will be pres ently explained, by means of which it can be easilydisengaged from, and re-engaged with, the shuttle frame proper, and theshuttle is also provided with a novel and efficient friction-brakemechanism, by means of which,as the thread on the bobbin is used up, theresistance to. the rotation of the bobbin (caused by the pulling off ofthe thread), will remain about uniform until all the thread is used offthe bobbin.

In lieu of a perforated lacing-bar and spring, or such other forms oftension devices, as have heretofore been used, on the filling thread, ata point intermediate of where it leaves the bobbin frame and passes onto the weaving-pin, I employ a rotatory tension device, composed of agrooved wheel, around the periphery of which the filling thread makesone, or more, turns (in its passage to the weaving pin'),the saidtension wheel having combined with it a sheave-like device, or wheel, onthe periphery of which acts the automatic compensating hand-brake, insuch manner, that, in drawing off the bobbin thread, during the weavingoperation, the said thread irrespective of its conditions, orvariations, as to size, quality, and twist, will alshall have been verycarefully, or very roughly and quickly, done.

The shuttle frame is provided with a spreader, or batten device, to bepresently more fully described, which is both adjustable (to suitdifferent sized weaving pins), and reversible, to permit the running ofthe shuttle, or shuttles, in either direction.

The shuttle-truck, or frame, isprovided, at its lower end, withbevel-faced anti-friction wheels, located inside of, and partiallyabove, the set of wheels which travel on the outer rail of the shuttletrack; through the rotation 7 of which anti-friction wheels the shuttleis driven around on its track, by the shuttledriving mechanism of theloom. This shuttle-driving mechanism, which is entirely novel andconstitutes an important feature of my invention, consists essentiallyin one, or more,

friction wheels, arranged to travel bodily, (and also to rotateaxially,) with the periphcry, or peripheries, thereof in contact withone, or the other, of the anti-friction wheels of the shut'tle,'iastabove alluded to said friction wheels being mounted to, turn freely,upon stationary spindles carried in the outer end, or ends, of an arm,or arms, mounted to rotate around the axis of the weaving pin, and beingconnected with a drive-pinion, or pinions, also mounted on saidspindle,or spindles, and receiving motion from a stationary rim gear; all as Iwill now describe.

Mounted interiorly of the circular frame of the loom, preferably in avertically adjustable manner, is a rim-gear a which, in the case shown,is made in the form of a pin-gear, with the pins arranged obliquely, oron a bevel; and, in engagement with this, bevel, rim-gear work (one or)a series of slightly beveled pinions f, the hubs of which also carry thebevel faced friction drive-wheels f that operate, or drive the shuttle.Preferably the said beveled pinionf, is composed of raw hide, orvulcanized fiber, While the working face, or periphery, of the saidfriction-wheel f is composed of. rubber compound, or some other soft andelastic material, which will run, with the least possible wear, over thewarp threads; and, in operation, as the revoluble radial arm, or arms,gyrate, or travel rapidly round about, the axis of the main centralshaftof the loom, the said beveled pinion .(or pinions) rotates rapidly aboutthe axis of the said protruding spindle of the radial arms (as the saidpinion, or pinions, travel in engagement with the teeth of the saidrim-gear); and the said rapid rotation of the bodily traveling, orgyrating, friction wheel will effectuate the driving of the shuttle, ata high rate of speed, and in the most desirable manner possible.Preferably, the bevel of the said driving friction wheel and theanti-friction idlers of the shuttle truck, or frame, is such as tocoincide with the angle at which the upper threads of the warp shed lie,while passing between these contacting, bevel-Wheel surfaces, during therapid travel around the shuttle track of the said shuttle, and the saidshuttledriving do vice, and, hence, these upper threads of the shed arenot only subjected to the least possible Wear and tear, but areagitated, orvibrated, as little as possible, by the rapid flight of thetraveling devices. By making the rimgear o vertically adjustable, andhaving the spindle which carries the pinion f, and the frictiondriving-wheel f adjustable in the direction of the axis of the latter, Iam enabled, both in putting together the parts of the machine and,subsequently, as occasions and conditions may require, to put and keepthe shuttle-driving mechanism or devices thereon, in a state of perfectadjustment and perfect working order, or relative arrangement.

It will be seen from the drawings, that the circular shuttle tracks F,F, are firmly supported upon the seats b and the inner ends of theradial arms F and it will be observed, that, only four of these armsextend (inwardly of machine) beyond the outer rail of the track. By thisarrangement and novel construction of the shuttle-driving mechanism, nomatter whether there be one, or more, shuttles, and a correspondingnumber of driving friction Wheels, I not only avoid the presence, at themiddle portion of the loom frame, of all the gearing, or geared parts,which have to be kept lubricated, and thus avoid all possible damage tothe fabric which is being handled at the middle of the loom, and beneaththe working parts thereof, but I also leave comparatively unobstructed,for the convenience of the operator, the central portion of the circularweaving machinery; so that, not only can the operator easily see andkeep track of the conditions and operations of all the threads andoperative parts of the machine which he is to manage, but can also moreconveniently reach up, into the central, open, space of the loom, forthe purpose of performing any necessary operations upon any of thethreads used in the weaving operation, or upon any of the devicesconnected with said threads.

In my patented loom the shuttle has to be taken out from above, but thecapacity my present machine possesses, for the extrication of an emptybobbin, and the substitution therefor of a fresh bobbin, from beneaththe shuttle and track, is, I think, of great advantage, and I considerthe means by which this end is gained an important part of my presentinvention. By having the truck wheels of the shuttle always roll on therubber roadways t, the threads of the lower shed, which have to beridden over by these truck wheels, while the threads lie radially acrossthe track, will not be cut, broken, or injured, by the concussive, orabrasive, action of the contacting surfaces of the track and truckwheels; and by having the rubber-roadways t, inlaid, or let intocircular recesses, in the metallic tracks (in which recesses they aretightly fitted, and above the top surfaces of which tracks they slightlyproject as shown), the said road-Ways, or soft, or yielding, materialwill, I have found, by experiment and practice, remain unloosenedandkeep in working condition much better and much longer than under anyother arrangement of them that I have been able to devise, or know of.I, therefore, consider this special arrangement, or method ofcombination of the soft material road-ways, and the metallic circulartracks of great importance.

The shuttle frame K is provided with an outer and an inner pair of trackwheels 1", the outer wheels being, of course, larger than the innerones, and all the wheels having the axles set at the proper angles, andtheir peripheries properly beveled to run perfectly on the circulartracks shown.

T are guide wheels arranged in about horizontal planes, and which travelin peripheral contact with the comb-like, or toothed, vertical rim Gr;two of said wheels being arranged to bear externally against the rim G,and the other two against the inner surface thereof; all as clearlyshown, and thus the shuttle, in its rapid, circular, flight, is held,laterally, to and guided by, the comb-like rim G.

At each end of the shuttle frame (see Fig. 2) is a bearing box 1- and r,the first named of which is provided with a tail-piece, K having agroove j, and also a central cylindrical cavity, or axial recess, 3'adapted to receive the projecting end of the spindle K, of the bobbin;the said sliding tail-piece operating to hold the bobbin in place,laterally, while a spring catch j", which engages, as seen, with groovej, holds it and the tail-piece endwise.

At the end of the shuttle-frame, opposite that where said tail-piece islocated, is located the friction-wheel, or head L, (see Fig. 4,) theteat-like journal L of which turns in the bearingbox r, and which at itsinner end is recessed out and formed with a hub, having a tapering axialcavity,in which is accommodated, so as to turn freely, the outer end ofthe bobbin-spindle K The recessed side of the said friction-wheel L, isalso formed, or provided, with one member L, of a dogging, or clutching,device, the other forked member f of which is on the outer surface ofthe bobbin head L; the construction being such (as shown at Fig. at)that the bifurcated projection f", of the bobbin-head will engage withthe female member L, in the recessed face of the friction wheel L, andeffect an engagement ofthe parts, so that, in turning on its axis, thebobbin must rotate the said friction wheel.

To the grooved periphery of the wheel L, is applied a brake-band q,preferably of metal faced with raw-hide, that nearly encircles it; andone end of the band as shown terminates in a threaded rod, or shank, gwhich passes through a hole in the projection (1 of the frame, where itis providedwith a thumb-nut and jam nut, and has strung on it a spiraltensional spring g all as shown. The outer end of the said band-brake isfastened to the short, pivoted, lever, (1 by means of a pivotalconnection, that is placed a short distance from the hinge point, orpintle g", by means of which the said lever is hinged to aprojectingstand of the shuttle frame. The pintle Q9, has also fast to its innerend the root of an"arm g, which, at its outer end, carries a brake-padthat constantlybears, or presses, upon the peripheral surface of thewound thread of the bobbin. The function and effect of thisbrake-mechanism, or group of bobbin devices, are to offer to the bobbinan impediment to its rotation, as the filling thread is unwound from it,and to effect a uniform impediment to the rotation of the bobbin,notwithstanding the fact that the unwinding thread pulls off with aconstantly varying leverage on the rotatory bobbin. This mechanism istherefore an automatic, equalizing, or compensating tension device;since it causes a uniform hold-back force, or tension, to be exerted onthe out-going bobbin thread, though the bobbin is acted upon by athread-pull that continually varies in the degree of leverage, or power,it exerts on the bobbin. Just in proportion as the leverage of thepulling thread on the bobbin decreases, does the power of the frictionband -brake over the brake-wheel decrease; because, as the diameter ofthe cylindrical mass of bobbin thread decreases, the brake-pad qapproaches the axis of the bobbin, and in so doing turns the short leverg so as to ease up on, or loosen, the grip of the brake-band, or strap.By means of the spring attachment and thumb nuts, the degree of tension,or the force of the brake, is adjusted to the desired condition, to suitthe kind of work being done, and other surrounding circumstances, andthen the mechanism works automatically. The thread of the bobbin passestherefrom back and forth over, first, the curved, or arched, guide-wire8 then over the spoollike traveler s and thence through the guide eye 8to a rotatory tension device, which consists of the peripherally groovedwheel 5 around which the thread makes, say about two turns, and aband-brake device connected therewith. From said tension device thethread passes, as shown, to and through an eye in the batten-shoe 8which is formed at the end, or point, of the spreader S; the saidbatten-shoe, operating to lay the filling thread tightly around theweaving-pin 0 and properly between the warp threads, as usual. Gombinedwith the said peripherally grooved wheel S that turns freely on itsspindle e f, is the band-brake S one end of which is adjustablyconnected (see Fig. 2) through the medium of a threaded link and a thumbnut to the ear-piece a b, of the stand on which the tension device ismounted; and the other end of which is similarly connected to anotherear-piece of said stand, except that a compressible spiral spring 0 b,is arranged, as shown, between the ear-piece and the thumbnut c (1. Bymeans of this band brake, thus arranged (which is quite analogous to theband-brake applied to the friction-wheel of the warp beam in my otherCase No. 388,417) an elastic, orspring, friction impediment to theturning of the grooved wheel S is afforded; and in case of a reversal ofthe spreader, and hence of the direction in which the'thread is led oiffrom wheel S (as indicated by the dotted lines at Fig. 2), the elasticbrake-band device must, of course, be reversed, so that the end-linkseen in ear-piece a b, and its thumb-nut, shall engage with the othercarpiece, and the link provided with the spiral spring a b andnut 0 clshall be directly combined with ear-piece a b. This reversibility of theelastic band-brakes which can be 'manipulated by most any one, asoccasion may require, permits the reversal of the other parts of theloom (for the well known purposes) without changing the designedoperations and effects of my said novel rotatory tension device. Saidspreader 8", instead of being permanently attached to the shuttle frameas heretofore, is removably combined with said frame, so that the saidspreader can be readily removed, and replaced in a reversed position, asplainly illustrated by the dotted lines at Fig. 2, whenever it may bedesired to run the loom in a reverse direction.

The brake-band S of the rotatory tension device, is anchored, at oneend, to an ear piece, a, b, of the shuttle frame and at the other endhas a threaded extension which passes through another hole in saidear-piece, and is provided with a compressible spiral spring 0 b, andthumb nut c d; all in such manner that the band can be adjusted, toexert any desired degree of brake-power (of ayielding, or elastic,character) on the brake-wheel, and thus regulate the turning of therotatory tension device as may be required.

At each end of the shuttle frame is a bent ribbon-like bar g h which, asshown, encompasses the inner guide-wheels W, and is shaped so as toperform the functions of a spreader, (to open out, if necessary, thewarp thread-shed as the shuttle enters it,) and a guard, to guide thethreads, or prevent their getting caught in any of those devices of theshuttle that first enter the shed. From the upper surface of said guard,or spreader, the lower shed threads will pass, certainly, beneath theshuttle truck wheels; while the upper ones pass along over the bail-likeguard 8 which in- IIO sures the clearance of the shuttle, by all theupper threads of the shed and is an important device in my improvedmachine.

B, is a four-armed, rotatory, frame which, as shown, is secured to andis driven by the central, tubular, shaft of the loom, all as fullydescribed in my Case No. 388,417. The outer end of each of the radiallyarranged arms of this rotatory frame is formed, or provided,with ahub-like socket, g, in which is placed, and secured, by set screws, theinner end of a nonrotatable arbor, f the outer portion of which carriesa sleeve-likehub, or rotatory, thimble, f, at the outer end of which isa bevel pin- 1011 f, (composed preferably of raw hide, or vulcanizedfiber,) and at the inner end of which is fastened the friction drivingwheel f the peripheral surface of which is composed of rubber compound,or other yielding, or elastic, material; all as clearly shown.Preferably the arbors f are made hollow to constitute oil reservoirs,from which, through suitable radial ducts, oil is supplied to thebearing surfaces between the said arbors and the sleeve-like devices fwhich rapidly and continuously rotate thereon. In practice this meansfor automatically and thoroughly lubrioatlng these parts, is quiteimportant. I have preferably shown the pinion f, as engaging with abevel pin-gear; but some other form of rim-gear may, of course, be used;though the specific construction shown, I have practically tested, verythoroughly, and found to be perfect in its operation, durable, andcomparatively frictionless. The wheels f it will be seen, are arrangedin pairs (see Fig. 9) each pair straddling, or encompassing, the twoidlers, or anti-friction wheels, n 0 of the shuttle, in such manner thatthe shuttle will have some play between the drivers, as shown. Ofcourse, when the loom is running in one direction, one of the wheels f,is the shuttle driver, the other acting as a hold back, to check theflight of the shuttle when the machine may be suddenly stopped, and whenthe loom may be run in the other direction,these two wheels, f exchangefunctions.

In another case filed by me, Serial No. 388,417, are shown and describedsome of the devices herein shown; but I disclaim, in this case, anydevices, or features of invention, common to the drawings anddescriptions of the two cases, and embraced in the claims of my saidother case.

Having now so fully explained the several novel features of my improvedloom that those skilled in the art can understand and practice myinvention, either in a loom precisely like that shown, or under somemere modification of my invention, and wishing it to be distinctlyunderstood that less than all of the described novel features may beused in one machine with good results; though I prefer to embody in thesame machine all the new devices and combinations of devices hereindescribed, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. In a circular loom, a two rail shuttle track, and radially arrangedsupports for the two rails which, as shown and described, are arrangedso that sufficient space is left between the supports to the inner railto permit the removal, downwardly, between said supports and the tworails, of the bobbin of a shuttle; substantially as hereinbefore setforth.

2. In a circular loom, the combination with the metallic tracks, havinggrooves, or circular recesses, therein, of road-ways 15, composed ofrubber compound, or other soft, or yielding, and elastic material andtightly fitted in said recesses, so as to project slightly above the topsurfaces of the tracks; all substantially as and for the purposes setforth.

3. In a circular loom, the combination with the circular shuttle-track,of the toothed rim G, arranged about at the inner perimeter of the outerrail of said track, as specified, for the purposes hereinbeforedescribed.

4:. In a shuttle mechanism forcircular looms, the combination with ashuttle frame, formed, or provided, with a bearing box at each end,

of a sliding tailiece K arranged in one of said bearing-boxes, andhaving a central cavity, or socket, as at j a friction head, or wheel,L, the journal of which is mounted to turn in the other one of saidbearing boxes, and which is provided, as specified, with one member of adogging device; a bobbin, the spindle of which, at one end, engages withthe socket of said tail-piece, and which bobbin, at the other end, isprovided with means for engaging the dogging device member of wheel L;and means for lockingin place, endwise, the said sliding tail-piece; allsubstantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. In combination with the bobbin and frame of a shuttle mechanism, thereversible spreader S and a rotatory tension device,having a reversibleand adjustable friction brake device applied thereto; as and for thepurposes set forth.

6. In a circular loom, the combination with the shuttle frame, provided,as usual, with the wheels 7*, of the spreadingguards gh, arranged ateither end of the said frame, as shown, and operating to spread apartthe shed threads and guide them clear of the advance parts of theshuttle, as the latter enters the shed; all substantially as and for thepurposes set forth.

7. In a circular loom, the combination,with the circular sh uttle-track;a shuttle truck provided with wheels to travel thereon, and also withthe anti-friction wheels, or idlers, as specified; the central rotatoryshaft of the loom; and arms made fast, at their inner ends, to saidcentral shaft, of a shuttle-driving device composed, essentially, offriction-wheels arranged to contact with the said idlers, and mounted soas to rotate about their own axes at the outer ends of said arms; allsubstantially as hereinbefore set forth.

8. In a circular loom, a shuttle driving mechanism, comprising, thecentral shaft of the 100m; suitable friction driving-Wheels; armsmounted fast, at their inner ends, on the said central shaft; arim-gear, arranged concentrically with but above the shuttle track ofthe loom; and pinions running in engage ment With said rim-gear, andthat are mounted on the same axes With the said drivingwheels, and thatrotate the latter; all substantially in the manner hereinhefore setforth. I o

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 6th day of April,1891.

ALBERT DE LASKI.

In presence of J. N. MCINTIRE, M. E. FOX'ITEN.

